Writing in the Salem Journal, Peter Wong reports:
A top federal official said Thursday that he’s looking to Oregon as a model for providing better care and improving people’s health while restraining costs — all goals of the national health-care overhaul that Congress passed a year ago.
“I just see Oregon as a beacon,” said Dr. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, whose programs cover one of every three Americans.
“I am sure you can show solutions for the whole country … This cannot be done from Washington. I can set the stage, but it’s really regions and communities that have the potential for developing real integrated systems. That is what excites me about your work in Oregon.”
Berwick spoke via phone to Gov. John Kitzhaber’s team looking at how to reshape delivery of health services to about 500,000 low-income Oregonians who rely on state-supported care. Kitzhaber also spoke in person to the 47-member group, which is scheduled to wrap up its meetings by the end of March.
Read the whole story here.
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